Gay Couple's Ten Year Struggle to Build a Future Together Explored in New Documentary
We Had a Plan follows a gay Filipino couple returning home after ten years working in the Netherlands, as their hopes for a future together face new challenges.
A gay Filipino couple who spent ten years working without legal immigration status in the Netherlands are at the centre of a new documentary exploring the sacrifices people make to build a better future together.
We Had a Plan, directed by Suzanne Raes and co-directed by Venice De Castro Atienza, follows Paul and Daniel as they return to the Philippines after a decade of working as cleaners, hoping their savings will allow them to establish a comfortable life in their home country.
The documentary will receive its world premiere at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam on Saturday 14 November 2026, with its first trailer now unveiled and international sales representation secured ahead of the event.
Ten Years of Work for a New Life
For ten years, Paul and Daniel worked seven days a week cleaning in the Netherlands while living without the immigration documents required to work legally.
Their demanding schedules were part of a long-term plan to save enough money to return to the Philippines, where they hoped to establish a secure future without the uncertainty surrounding their lives abroad.
When they finally arrived home, relatives and neighbours welcomed them as successful men who had returned with money and opportunities. However, the reality of starting again proved considerably more difficult than they had anticipated.
Daniel returned to nursing, working twelve-hour shifts for comparatively low wages, while Paul attempted to establish a construction business.
As their savings began to diminish, the couple faced growing financial pressures and difficult questions about where they could realistically build their future.
Love, Migration and LGBTQ+ Acceptance
The documentary explores how Paul and Daniel's relationship is affected by circumstances beyond their control, including differences in wages, immigration requirements and attitudes towards same-sex couples.
Returning to the Netherlands legally becomes a possible option through Daniel's nursing qualifications, but pursuing that route brings further administrative challenges and the prospect of another difficult period of uncertainty.
The couple must decide whether to continue trying to establish themselves in the Philippines or consider leaving again after spending so many years working towards their homecoming.
Rather than concentrating exclusively on migration, the film follows the emotional consequences of those decisions and the pressures they place on a relationship built around the hope of sharing a simple life.
Documentary Secures International Deal Ahead of Premiere
Paris-based Cat&Docs has acquired international sales rights to We Had a Plan, giving the film an opportunity to reach distributors and audiences beyond its initial festival screenings.
The documentary has also been named among the contenders for IDFA's Best Dutch Film Award, with its premiere taking place in the festival's Luminous programme.
Produced by Docmakers in the Netherlands, with Daluyong Studios involved as a Philippine co-production partner, the 96-minute film brings together personal storytelling and wider questions about migration, inequality and LGBTQ+ acceptance.
Its first trailer has been released ahead of the world premiere, providing an early look at Paul and Daniel's relationship and the difficulties they face after returning home.
When and Where Can You Watch We Had a Plan?
The first public screening takes place at Tuschinski 1 in Amsterdam on Saturday 14 November at 5.15pm, followed by further screenings on 15, 18, 20 and 22 November.
A UK release has not yet been announced, although the international sales agreement could help the film secure distribution in additional territories.
